Coupling and supporting means for vehicles.



No. 676,829. 7 Patented lune l8, IQUI. C. T. WYGANT.

COUPLING AND SUPPORTING MEANS FOR VEHICLES.

(Applicatiop filed Mar. 28, 1901.)

(No M'odal.)

INVENTOR. Y C/ia T yJ/If! NITED- Sterne ATENT rrrcn.

CHARLES T. TVYGANT, OF DENVER, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO MARYE. VVYGANT, OF SAME PLACE.

COUPLING AND SUPPORTING MEANS FOR VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 676,829, dated June 18,1901.

Application filed March 28, 1901- Serial No. 53,352. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern-.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES T. WYGANT, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Denver, in the county of Arapahoe and State ofColorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Couplingand Supporting Means for Vehicles; and I do declare the following to beafull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as IO willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to thefigures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecificar5 tion.

My invention relates to improvements in coupling and supporting meansfor the front part of heavy wagons or vehicles having a loose reach, myobject being to increase the wearing capacity of these parts, and thusincrease the durability, efficiency, and general utility of this classof wagons.

Generally speaking, my improvement consists in applying metalwearing-surfaces to the reach, sand-board, and forward axle 'of vehiclesof the heavier class, all of which will now be described in detail andthe novel features subsequently pointed out in the claims.

The invention will be understood by refer- 3o ence to the accompanyingdrawings, in which is illustrated an embodiment thereof.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a rear eleva tion of the front gear of avehicle equipped with my improvements, the reach being shown in sectiontaken on the line a: .90, Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a section taken on the liney 1 Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the wearing and supportingmembers which are applied to the sand-board and axle of wagons equipped40 with my improvements. Fig. 4 is a perspective View in detail of themetal housing for the front end of the reach.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the views.Let the numerals 5, 6, and 7, respectively, designate the bolster,sand-board, and front axle of a vehicle, the said parts being connectedby a king-bolt 8. To the sand-board and axle are applied two metalwearing members 9, one being located in front and the other in the rear.Each of these members is provided with two upwardly-projecting and twodepending lugs 9, the two members be ing secured by bolts 10, passedthrough the openings formed in these lugs and openings in the sand-b0ardand axle registering therewith. Each member 9 is hollow and the openingtherein is surrounded by a flange 9 which passes into the space betweenthe axle and sand-board to contact with the king-bolt, the top andbottom flange parts being recessed to fit the bolt, as shown at 9. Theflanges 9 of the two coupling members enter the space between the axleand the sandboard from opposite sides and form a metal lining thereforand a metal wearing-surface for the forward extremity of the reach 12,which is equipped with a metal housing 13, secured thereto by means ofbolts 14:, passed through the housing and reach from the sides or in anyother suitable manner. The parts 9 may be cemented to the wood parts, towhich they are applied as an additional fastening means. It will thus beseen that by virtue of my improvements the axle, sand-board, and reachare strengthened and supported and the bolster and sand-board areprevented from tipping forward and back, as is generally the case afterthe said parts have become somewhat worn. The members 9, as well as thepart 13, are preferably made of malleable iron, and they may be made ofa size to fit any wagon.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. The combinationwith the reach, sandboard and front axle, of a metal housing applied tothe forward extremity of the reach, and two metal members insertedrespectively from the front and rear, in the reach-opening 0 between thesand-board and axle, each member being secured to the sand-board andaxle engaging the sand-board and axle, and suit- 10 able means appliedto these parts for securing the wearing members in place.

2. Thecombination with the sand-board and In testimony whereof I affixmy signature axle, of two metal wearing members forming in presence oftwo witnesses. a lining for the reach-opening between the CHARLES T.WYGANT.

and the said members being provided with flanges forming a metal liningfor the reachopening.

said parts, the lining portion of the members, Witnesses: being insertedrespectively from the front and DORA. C. SHIOK, rear and each memberhaving exterior parts MARY O. LAMB.

